5786 COURSE CATALOG

The Zohar is a Jewish grimoire, a spell book. But like any grimoire, the powers are only unlocked if you know how to use it. In this course, we will learn how to access the Zohar. We will carefully explore the Zohar's raw materials: biblical verses and kabbalistic symbols. We will taste them with our minds and mouths, until we can get inside the process the Zohar uses to fashion the verses and symbols into vehicles for connection with the divine. The course is open to students of all levels. We will study all texts in the original and in English translation.

How do we build a space for sacred energy that is not meant to last? Explore the conversations of the Talmudic Rabbis as they try to figure out what a sukkah is, how to build one, and what it all means. This is a beginner/intermediate course in the skills needed to analyze and interpret the Talmud. Thanks to an innovative pedagogical design, all instruction and learning will take place in English. No Hebrew is required or expected for participation in the course.

What does it mean to learn Torah as feminists? Loving Torah – or wanting to love Torah – when our holy texts are so saturated with men’s experiences and perspectives to the exclusion of all others is painful, but can also be generative. In this Intensive, we'll explore 8 different ways of learning Torah with a feminist lens. We'll practice reading with a skeptical lens toward the feminist potential of Torah, we'll read closely in conversation with our own life experiences, and we'll seek out the experiences of the women behind the text. Over the course of our learning, we'll learn how to identify different feminist methods of Torah learning. By the end of the quarter you'll be able to stand in your own approach to feminist Torah learning.

Hasidism began as an 18th-century spiritual revival—ecstatic, embodied, and radically God-obsessed—and this course is an invitation to explore its core teachings not just as history, but as living possibilities. Together we’ll study history and foundational Hasidic ideas, read primary sources (in translation), and unpack how these texts and practices might speak to our lives today as progressive Jewish seekers. We’ll pair historical context with open-hearted discussion and spiritual experimentation, using both traditional Hasidic and neo-Hasidic lenses to ask: what would it mean to take Hasidic theology seriously as a personal practice? And how might we add our voices to the ongoing interpretation of these mystical sources? This class is perfect for any seeker who wants to learn more about Jewish mysticism-- no previous text study experience necessary.

What is Torah? No… literally what are all of these books people keep talking about? When did they happen? Why are they important? And how can I start reading them?!?!?

The Jewish Library (& how to read it) is an Intensive course taught by Liana Wertman. Join our incredibly immersive course as we explore the world, history, and practice of Jewish text study. In this 8 week cohort course, we’ll take a magnifying glass to Tanakh, swim through the waters of Talmud, chat with the most important commentators of the last millenia, and meet the scholars of our generation who find new worlds in ancient ones.

Explore the weekly Torah portion with art and community! Each week a new creative prompt will inspire you to discover new ways of relating to our oldest sacred text. No art experience or Torah knowledge expected. Taught by Liana Wertman.

An introduction to reading the Torah portion with classical commentators

Practice your Hebrew this summer through play. Worlds To Come is an immersive TTRPG experience for learning Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew. Inspired by the high fantasy magic of Dungeons & Dragons and the collaborative liberatory storytelling of games like Dream Apart, Worlds To Come lets you harness the language of Torah and Talmud to imagine what it looks like to fight for a better world. This campaign is for high-beginner to mid-intermediate Hebrew students.